FieldReports

Hawthorne Direct, an analytics
and technology driven accountable
brand advertising agency, announces
that its CEO Jessica Hawthorne-Castro has been named 2015

Female CEO of the Year in Advertising,
Marketing and Public Relations by the
CEO World Awards.

WideOrbit Inc., a provider of
advertising management software for
media companies, hires Ian Ferreira
as senior vice president of programmatic TV to strengthen its digital and
programmatic business. Ferreira is
the former chief architect of Microsoft
AdExchange.

Media Design Group announces
Liz Kelly as its new vice president of
media. She’ll lead both the media buying and client services departments.

Kelly has spent more than 30 years
working with both small and major
brands, driving sales and managing
successful campaigns for clients.

Next Caller Inc., a leader in
CallerID data for use in call center
solutions, announces a strategic
partnership with Oracle Corp., the
world’s leading supplier of SaaS solutions. The partnership enables organizations using the Oracle Service Cloud,
Sales Cloud, other Oracle Cloud solutions and the numerous legacy Oracle
CRM and ERP solutions to benefit from
Next Caller’s CallerID Data Services.

TaxACT.com launches its “DIY
America” campaign promoting the
company’s tax return software. The
ads include 15-, 30- and 60-second
spots that are running on national and
cable TV, radio, podcasts, streaming
audio and video, and live sports. The
creative and media were handled by
R2C Group, TaxACT’s
agency of record
since 2010.

MarketsmithInc., a directresponse marketingfirm, announces theacquisition of market-ing communicationsagency BrushfireInc., which will con-tinue to operate underthat name. The two New Jersey firmswill offer clients a marketplace ofanalytic and creative capabilities andmarketing services.

Dial800, a provider of memorable
toll-free numbers to direct marketers,
acquires Seattle-based Custom Toll
Free and will operate it as a wholly
owned subsidiary.

Top Dog Direct hosted a meet-and-greet (below) at Lake Placid,
N. Y., to support Olympic bobsledder,
Jamie Greubel. Greubel, who won
an Olympic bronze medal in 2014, met
with fans and autographed apparel
and images.

NEWS

CORNER

JESSICA HAWTHORNE-CASTROMITUL DESALAVA SEAVEY

NEW YORK — New studies show video
advertising is on the rise and that consumers are apt to share those ads.

A new eMarketer study says domestic
digital video advertising will reach $7.7
billion in 2015 — a 30.4-percent increase
over 2014. And Unruly, a marketing
technology platform, recently released a
study that says consumers are avid sharers
of video ads, particularly ones that relate
to happiness and humor.

About 8.6 percent of Internet usersshare video ads daily, while 9. 3 percentshare video ads weekly. Together, thesefolks comprise the so-called “super shar-ers.” This group is responsible for morethan 80 percent of total video shares. Inaddition, the speed of sharing has doubledin the last year.

Consumers are most inclined to share
a video when it hits one of two emotional
triggers, the report found. In the United
States, the most popular triggers that
drive social sharing of video ads are happiness and humor. Overall, 61 percent of
Americans share video ads on Facebook.

While most sharing occurs on Face-book, brands are seeing many shares onTwitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, and via e-mail. Unruly recommends that video adsbe created for the so-called “open Web”— video ads should have sharing featuresenabled, so viewers can share the videono matter where they watch or view it.Insiders say these findings also under-score the importance of early targeting ofa core group of users that is most inclinedto spread the message. Targeting supersharers offers the greatest chance of viral-ity. More than 40 percent of shares occurin the first three days, so a strong startis key. Finally, if the goal is widespreadsharing, it’s best to focus on the happinesstrigger, Unruly recommends. That emo-tion has the greatest potential to translateacross borders, whereas humor may notalways work.